peter graves

From the children's western series 'Fury' to his appearance in the comedy classic 'Airplane,' Peter Graves had a prominent and wide-ranging career in both film and television. But the distinguished, silver-haired actor, who died on March 14 at the age of 83, will always be best remembered for his work as Jim Phelps, the brilliant tactician of 'Mission: Impossible' (1966-1973).

Graves' portrayal of Phelps, featuring those famous scenes in which he received his mission instructions from a tape that "will self-destruct in five seconds,' was so iconic that some might be surprised to learn that he joined the cast in the series' second season, replacing Steven Hill as team leader Dan Briggs. He remained with the show for the next seven seasons.

The complete 'Mission: Impossible" series is available on DVD. Here are three of the best episodes featuring Jim Phelps.

'Mission: Impossible' star Peter Graves died Sunday of a heart attack, the NY Times has confirmed.

Graves, whose film and television career spanned about 60 years, was perhaps best known for his Golden Globe-winning portrayal of IMF leader James Phelps on the iconic spy series, which ran for seven seasons on CBS. He later reprised the role in an ABC reboot, from 1988-1990.

Graves' small-screen career dates back the mid-'50s when he landed a regular gig on the NBC Western drama 'Fury.' From then on, he became a regular face on television, with additional roles on 'Whiplash,' 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents,' 'The Dean Martin Show,' 'Fantasy Island' and, more recently, the WB family drama, '7th Heaven.'

He was team leader Jim Phelps on 'Mission: Impossible' in the '60s and also had a memorable role as the pilot Captain Oveur in the first two 'Airplane' movies in the '80s. He was also the host of A&E's 'Biography' for ten years and appeared in several commercials ("I'm Peter Graves..."). You might even know him from voice work he did on 'American Dad.' He had a recurring role on '7th Heaven' and guest roles on 'Cold Case,' 'House,' 'Diagnosis: Murder,' 'The Love Boat,' 'Fantasy Island,' and other shows.

Graves wasn't happy about Phelps being the bad guy in the big-screen 'Mission: Impossible' movie but was actually going to film a cameo in the fourth film in the franchise.

Graves was the brother of another TV icon, 'Gunsmoke's' James Arness. After the jump, the opening to 'Mission: Impossible.'